1A few dead flies in a bottle of perfume cause all the perfume to stink.
2If people think sensibly, it will lead them to do what is right;
3Even while foolish people walk along the road,
4Do not quit working for a ruler when he is angry with you;
5There is something else that I have seen here on this earth,
6They appoint foolish people to have important positions,
7They allow slaves to ride on horses like rich people usually do,
8It is possible that those who dig pits
9If you work in a quarry,
10If your axe is not sharp [DOU],
11If a snake bites a man before he charms/tames it,
12Wise people say [MTY] what is sensible, and because of that, people honor them;
13When foolish people start to talk, they say things that are foolish,
14They talk ◄too much/without ceasing►.
15Foolish people become so exhausted by the work that they do
16Terrible things will happen to the people of a nation whose ruler is a foolish young man,
17But a nation will prosper if its ruler is from a ◄noble/well-educated► family,
18Some men are very lazy and do not repair the rafters,
19Eating food and drinking wine causes us to laugh and be happy,
20Do not even think about cursing the king,